More Brazilian Ships May Call On Area Port

The Virginia Port Authority has reached an agreement with a South American steamship group that may make it easier for Virginia ports to snare Brazilian traffic from Atlantic Coast rivals.

Under a previous arrangement, members of the Inter-America Freight Conference - a group of Argentine and Brazilian ship lines - acted in concert when choosing which Atlantic Coast ports to call on.

The new agreement allows members of the group to act alone in choosing East Coast ports.

"We are now able to work individually with each of the steamship lines," said John Covaney, the port authority's senior managing director of marketing services.

Covaney isn't sure how many Brazilian shipping lines will divert vessels to Hampton Roads as a result of the agreement. But he is confident many will do so because of local transportation costs.

For example, Covaney said it would cost $650 to transport a container from Hampton Roads ports to Pittsburgh via the Virginia Inland Port in Front Royal. It would cost $865 to transport that container to Pittsburgh via the Port of Baltimore, he said.

Brazil is Virginia's eighth largest market worldwide, according to the Virginia Department of World Trade. Last month, five Brazilian-flagged vessels called on the Port of Hampton Roads.